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469 "Digger" / "Patches"
Adult Male Yesr First Identified: 2001 as an adult male Known Offspring Of: Not known Darting Attempts: There were no darting attempts (successful or unsuccessful) by Ranger Michael Saxton in 2016 or 2017. 'Identification:' 469 is a medium-large male bear. His claws are dark and he has short, round ears. His muzzle is blocky and straight. 469's coat is brown. His most distinctive feature is a blond, diamond shaped patch of mocha colored fur on his left shoulder. 'Distinctive Behaviors:' From 2001 - 2011, 469 was an irregular user of the Brooks Rivr and was only observed in the fall. At those times, he fished the lower Brooks River and in Naknek Lak, but he ws usually only seen in the morning and would leav the area when human activity increased. This indicates that 469 is not tolerant of people. In 2012, 469 was observed guarding a bear carcass in October 2012. (see the 2012 Life History section below for additional information) In 2013, this pattern was broken and he was seen fishing regularly at Brooks Falls for the fist time in July, even when large numbers of people were watching from the Brooks Falls wildlife viewing platform. It is unknown why this bear changed his habits. (see 2013 Life History section below for additional information). 'Life History:' '2001:' 469 "Digger" / "Patches" was first identified as an adult male in 2001. He does not have an official nickname. In the 2012 section below, you can learn how the cam viewer unofficial nickname came to be. In 2001 469 was an irregular user of the Brooks River and was only observed in the fall. At those times, he fished the lower Brooks River and in Naknek Lake, but he was usually only seen in the morning and would leave the area when human activity increasd. This indicates that 469 is not tolerant of people. '2006:' 'September 2006:' PATCHES 469 PIC 2006.09.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 01.JPG|469 September 2006 NPS photo 2017 Bears of Brooks River book page 73 '2007:' 469 received a faily large wound from another bear. (Need to ask Mike which bear gave 469 that wound). '2010:' 'September 2010:' PATCHES 469 PIC 2010.09.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 01.JPG|469 September 2010 NPS photo 2017 Bears of Brooks River book page 73 '2012:' 'September 2012:' PATCHES 469 PIC 2012.09.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 01.JPG|469 September 2012 NPS photo 2017 Bears of Brooks River book page 73 'October 2012:' In October 2012, 469 was observed guarding a bear carcass in the Lower Brooks River area. It is unknown whether or not 469 killed the other bear. 469's cache and his behaviors of consuming the cache were visible on the Explore live cams. 469 was quickly dubbed with the unofficial nickname "Digger" by the Explore bearcam viewing community. PATCHES 469 PIC 2012.10.xx ON CACHE SAND BEAR.jpg|469 "Digger" / "Patches" October 2012 snapshot by Sand Bear 2012.10.07 - 2012.10.09: "On Sunday morning, October 7, biologists stationed at Brooks Camp noted that adult male Bear 469* (no nickname, but this is the one bearcam viewers called “Digger”) had apparently killed something and was in the process of caching it. A bear will often cache food when there is more than can be eaten at once. Salmon, for example, are typically not cached, but a moose would be. Throughout the day, Bear 469 added to, and rearranged his cache, and slept. Biologists later that day, (after the cams shut down), determined that the cache contained the remains of an unidentified bear. Sometime after dark and before the biologists returned to the Lower River on Monday, October 8, another bear, Bear 814 (Lurch) arrived on the scene and took over Bear 469’s cache, chasing him off. Bear 469 was not killed, and was seen one additional time after the cache-building event. Throughout the day on Monday, Bear 814 was observed to be adding to and rearranging his cache. On Tuesday morning, October 9, biologists once again observed the remains of a bear in the cache. Bear 814 was seen to periodically dig into the cache and pull out a part of the dead bear and eat it. When not eating, he slept and rearranged his cache. Most other bears continued to steer clear of Bear 814 and his well-guarded cache. Whether you are man or beast, stumbling upon a brown bear’s cache is one of the most dangerous situations to find yourself in. Bears know this all too well, but may initially be drawn close by the irresistible smell of rotting meat. You will sometimes see a bear walk past the bridge, and upon recognizing the cache and Bear 814, they turn and move away quickly." Ranger Roy shares some information about the 2012 lower river cache that 469 initially was observed on in this October 2012 blog: The Violent Side of Nature '2013:' When 469 arrived in 2013, he was limping badly and would not place any wieght on his left hind leg. This injury may have reduced his ability to find food elsewhere, or he may have just discovered the fishing opportunites at Brooks Falls in July. Whatever the reason, 469 modified his behavior to fish at Brooks Falls. Bears, even older bears, are able to shift their habits and behaviors when it is necessary for survival. 'July 2013:' PATCHES 469 PIC 2013.07.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 01.JPG|469 July 2013 NPS photo 2017 Bears of Brooks River book page 73 PATCHES 469 PIC 2013.07.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 02.JPG|469 July 2013 NPS photo 2017 Bears of Brooks River book page 73 PATCHES 469 PIC 2013.07.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 03.JPG|469 July 2013 NPS photo 2017 Bears of Brooks River book page 73 PATCHES 469 PIC 2013.07.xx RESILIENT BEAR NPS BLOG 2014.07.14.jpg|469 July 2013 NPS photo from The Resilient Bear KNP&P Terrane blog by Ranger Mike Fitz on July 14, 2013 2013.07.10: 469 can be observed beginning at approximately 1:00 into this video by dragonlainey. 469 leaves with a fish at approximately 2:56. 2013.07.??: (July 11, 2013 or prior): 469 can be seen in this highlights video by Explore: 2013.07.14: '''KNP&P Terrane blog "The Resilient Bear" by Ranger Mike Fitz includes a photo and information about 469 and his 2013 left hind leg injury: "This year #469, is frequently seen slowly moving around Brooks Falls. His left hind leg and foot are swollen. The bear moves slowly, using its three other legs as crutches. Even when standing still, the injured leg bears no weight. In early July 2013, #469 arrived at Brooks Falls with a severe limp. This bear often had trouble moving through the river and maintaining prime fishing spots. We don’t know how this bear was injured, nor do we know when he was injured. Since 2001, he has only been seen in the fall, never in July. Perhaps this change in habit is a result of the injury. #469 may have to take additional risks around other bears and people at Brooks Camp in order to eat and heal." '''2013.07.??: (July 22, 2013 or prior): Ranger Mike Fitz and Ranger Roy Wood discuss 469's injury, healing, and chances of full recovery in this Explore video . 469 has been showing improvement over the past couple weeks or so. Park staff does not know if 469 will pull through this injury. 469 has survived the hardest time of the year, spring, when food resources are less available. Park staff does not know how or when 469 sustained his injury, they basically just know that when 469 was first observed in the 2013 season he had the injury to his left hind leg. 469 has recently been observed placing some weight on the injured leg when he is walking in the water or along the shore line. This video provides a visual comparison of how 469 was coping with the injury on both July 8, 2013 and July 21, 2013: '2014:' 469 was not officially observed by KNP&P bear monitoring staff during monitoring sessions. '2015:' 'June 2015:' 469 made one brief appearance at Brooks Falls in June 2015. PATCHES 469 PIC 2015.06.21 NPS PHOTO RMIKE 01.jpg|469 June 21, 2015 NPS photo by Ranger Mike Fitz PATCHES 469 PIC 2015.06.21 NPS PHOTO RMIKE 02.jpg|469 June 21, 2015 NPS photo by Ranger Mike Fitz '2016:' 'Fall 2016:' During fall 2016, a bear was spotted with a similar blong diamon shaped patch of fur on his left shoulder, though it is not certain that this bear was indeed 469. There is a possibility that the bear observed in fall of 2016 was actually 274 Overflow. '2017:' 469 was included in the 2017 Bears of Brooks River book on page 73: PATCHES 469 INFO 2017 BoBr PAGE 73.JPG|469 page 73 2017 Bears of Brooks River book PATCHES 469 INFO 2017 BoBr PAGE 73 INFO ONLY.JPG|469 page 73 2017 Bears of Brooks River book (information section only) 'June 2017:' 2017.06.23 MAYBE: Mickey Williams captured this video on June 23, 2017 at approximately 17:40. The bear near the "table rock" in the far pool resembles 469. Mickey noted that Mike Fitz felt that the bear obseved in this video may possibly be 469. A firm ID of this bear has not been established to date. Brenda D captured this video on June 23, 2017 of the bear that could possibly be 469. Brenda noted that this bear showed up after 503 Cubadult headed down to the bend and 128 Grazer's family group was still up on the hill.: Cherly Burnside captured this video on June 23, 2017 of the bear that could possibly be 469 fishing in closer proximity to the live cam. The Explore Recorder footage of the bear that could possibly be 469 fishing in closer proximity to the live cam begins at approximately 8:27 into this video : On June 23, 2017 Mike Fitz commented and shared a snapshot he captured of this bear after the bear changed fishing locations: PATCHES 469 INFO 2017.06.23 19.42 MIKE FITZ COMMENT w SNAPSHOT.JPG|June 23, 2017 19:42 Comment by Mike Fitz with his snapshot of bear that could possibly be 469 PATCHES 469 INFO 2017.06.23 19.42 MIKE FITZ SNAPSHOT ONLY.png|Possibly 469 June 23, 2017 snapshot by Mike Fitz Cam viewer Shel gathered a wealth of additional information on this bear in this comment : (Thank you Shel) On June 23, 2017 Shel gathered this information in this comment : The bear observed on June 23, 2017 (1st snapshot) compared to July 2013 NPS photo of 469 and to July 2013 Explore video footage snips: 2nd snapshot of bear observed on June 23, 2017 , July 2013 Explore video snip #1 , July 2013 Explore video snip #2 , July 2013 Explore video snip #3 (These snapshots / phtoos / snip compare the left side): PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23.png|Possibly 469 observed June 23, 2017 snapshot by Shel PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 vs 469 JULY 2013 NPS PHOTO.JPG|Shel's June 23, 2017 snapshot of bear that is possibly 469 compared to July 2013 NPS photo of 469 PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 vs 469 FROM JULY 2013 EXPLORE VIDEO.JPG|Shel's June 23, 2017 snapshot of bear that is possibly 469 compared to snip from July 2013 Explore video footage of 469 PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 vs 469 FROM JULY 2013 EXPLORE VIDEO 02.JPG|Snip of 469 from July 2013 Explore video footage for additional comparison to bear observed on June 23, 2017 PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 vs 469 FROM JULY 2013 EXPLORE VIDEO 03.JPG|Snip of 469 from July 2013 Explore video footage for additional comparison to bear observed on June 23, 2017 Another (left side) June 23, 2013 snapshot by Shel of the bear observed on June 23, 2017 that was possibly 469 compared to a (left side) September 2012 NPS photo of 469 : PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 02.png PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 02 vs SEPTEMBER 2012 NPS PHOTO OF 469.JPG PATCHES 469 PIC 2012.09.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 01.JPG|469 September 2012 NPS photo for comparison to bear observed June 23, 2017 that was possibly 469 Shel documented comparison of the right side in this June 23, 2017 snapshot of the bear that could possibly be 469 compared to this (right side) July 2013 NPS photo of 469 and this June 23, 2017 snapshot compared to this (right side) July 2013 NPS photo of 469: : PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 03 RIGHT SIDE.png PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 03 RIGHT SIDE vs 469 JULY 2013 NPS PHOTO.JPG PATCHES 469 PIC 2013.07.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 01.JPG|469 July 2013 NPS photo for comparison PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 04 RIGHT SIDE.png PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 04 RIGHT SIDE vs 469 JULY 2013 NPS PHOTO 02.JPG PATCHES 469 PIC 2013.07.xx 2017 BoBr PG 73 02.JPG|469 July 2013 NPS photo for comparison Shel also documented comparison of the head, front profile, and shoulder patch position in this snapshot of the bear observed on June 23, 2017 that could possibly be 469 to this (head / front profile / shoulder patch position) June 21, 2015 NPS photo by Ranger Mike Fitz : PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 05 HEAD FRONT PROFILE.png PATCHES 469 PIC 2017.06.23 POSSIBLY 469 SHEL POSTED 2017.06.23 05 HEAD FRONT PROFILE vs 469 JUNE 21 2015 NPS PHOTO.JPG PATCHES 469 PIC 2015.06.21 NPS PHOTO by MIKE FITZ.png|469 Patches June 21, 2015 NPS photo by Ranger Mike Fitz for comparison On June 25, 2017, former KNP&P ranger Mike Fitz commented about Shel's June 23, 2017 documentation on the comparison of the bear observed on June 23rd to prior season documented NPS photos and Explore video footage of 469. "That's a great comparative series of photos. I think the bear we watched on 6/23 shares many physical similarities with 469. I'm not convinced it is 469, but I'm leaning in that direction. I'd like to hear what Ranger Dave or Leslie have to say. " PATCHES 469 INFO 2017.06.23 MIKE FITZ 2017.06.25 COMMENT re SHELs 2017.06.23 DOCUMENTATION OF COMPARISON TO 469.JPG PATCHES 469 INFO 2017.06.23 MIKE FITZ 2017.06.25 COMMENT re SHELs 2017.06.23 DOCUMENTATION OF COMPARISON TO 469 MIKE ONLY.JPG Cam viewer, JG located and shared this Brooks Camp. Katmai National Park, June 2017 blog by Bear and Penguin Photography that includes a photograph of this bear from the same time period in June 2017. If you scroll down in the blog to the photo below the photo of 128 Grazer grazering another bear, you will see the photo of the bear that could possibly be 469 taken by the park visitor that created the blog. Park visitor, Ken Hikfiker captured footage of the bear that is possibly 469 beginning at approximately 4L44 into this video : 'Known Courting & Mating:' 'Known Relatives:' At this time there are no known relatives of 469 "Digger" / "Patches", 'Darting Attempts:' There were no darting attempts (successful or unsuccessful) by Ranger Michael Saxton in 2016 or 2017. It is not known to us if 469 was darted in prior genetics studies done at KNP&P / Brooks Camp. Category:Bear Book